Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Speaker for the Dead
by Orson Scott Card

So, I've read two of Orson Scott Card's books now, and I must say, they are simply amazing! Speaker for the Dead picks up 3000 years after Ender's Game. How is this possible? Well, with some near-light-speed space travel and a penchant for planet hopping, Ender, our hero, has been able to survive thus far. (If this sort of thing interests you, I'd suggest The Forever War, another lovely science fiction novel).

This time, there's trouble with aliens again. Another sentient species has been discovered on one of the colony worlds, and when deaths occur again, all the worlds are thrown into an uproar. Ender is pulled into this from his new role as a "Speaker for the Dead," one who tells the story of a deceased's life, telling the triumphs and downfalls of a person without judging, revealing the full truth of a person's life upon request.

Again, the issue with human nature and the ability to communicate is raised in this book. When is violence the appropriate response? Is it ever the appropriate response? With these new aliens and their strange customs, humans are quick to jump to violence when these other beings do something foreign and frightening. Apparently they haven't learned in the 3000 years after the war with the Buggers. I really love Orson Scott Card's books because they really appeal to the reader intellectually about different ethical issues that just might be applicable to our lives today.

My rating: 10/10